The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat. Proverbs 13:4
The sluggard is always wanting and never getting. His life is a series of desires and cravings for everything under the sun. He craves and speaks of all the things he wants - but does nothing to actually obtain them. If someone gives them to him he is happy for a moment or two. That happiness is soon replaced with another craving, though, and he returns to his world of constantly wanting something else. In all his wanting though, he never lifts himself up to the level of work and labor. These things would open his life up to actually seeing things happen. He is lazy and undisciplined and therefore he never attains to things. The proverb tells us that he gets nothing. His hands are always empty - first they are empty of work and labor - and in the end they are empty of any real productivity and products. He is a sad soul - doubly empty. The soul of the diligent man is fat. He works hard and labors diligently at the things he wants. He allows desire to prod him to work and labor. Thus his desires and wants become more than just a craving that taunts him. He uses those desires to spur him to action - first action of the mind - and then action of life. He works hard - and at the end of the day has something to show for it. If not his actual goals - he has the satisfaction that he is one day closer to seeing them realized. Along the way his soul gets fatter. His mind is filled with thought of how to do things better, quicker, with greater quality and skill. Along the way his will is set to do what is before him. Along the way his emotions are kept in check - not dominating his life with unmet cravings and the whirlwhind of emotions they bring - but with excitment about what is coming as his work yields true rewards. Even before he gets what he is working for - his soul remains fat with the good things that come from hard work and industry. One craves and is wracked by the unmet cries of his cravings. He is starving to death physically, emotionally, and mentally as he has nothing to show for doing nothing. The other is working toward something good - and all along the way good comes to him. It is far better to be working toward something than to be only craving what you will never get.
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Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:4
If you asked most people if they would rather have riches or righteousness - most likely most would answer that they would like riches. That is due to two facts. First it is due to the fact that mankind is lost and ignorant of their true position before God. Second, it is due to the fact that the rich man in the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man - has not yet had his message broadcast to the world as he would have wanted. Proverbs tells us that riches do not profit us in the day of wrath. If riches are all that we have - we are seriously in trouble. Note that we read here of the day of wrath. This refers to the day that God releases His wrath on those who have rejected His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That will be a sobering day indeed for the rich. They have stored up their wealth when they should have used it for the glory of God and the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On that day, their riches will mean nothing. Honored on earth among men - riches are despised in heaven - unless they have been used for the glory of God. Two men would love to testify to this fact. The first is the rich man who did nothing to alleviate the pain and suffering of a poor beggar named Lazarus. He lay at the rich man's gate, his only ministers dogs that licked his sores. HE longed to be fed with the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. He received nothing from him. On the day of God's wrath - the rich man was cast into hell and Lazarus was taken into Abraham's bossom - to await the day he would be taken to heaven. The rich man - suffering miserably - asked that someone be sent to tell his brothers of this place. He knew that riches would not deliver in that day - only righteousness would do. The second man who would love to testify would be the rich farmer who thought he had it made because he had a bumper crop. Faced with filled barns already, he wondered what to do with his wealth. He decided to build bigger barns, fill them and then say to himself that he was set for life. He trusted riches, not righteousness. He lost. The Lord called this man a fool and told him that he would die that night - and what would he do for his own soul. Riches will not profit us in that day when we face the judgment of God. Only righteousness will do. Actually, only a certain kind of righteousness will do too. That is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That alone will stand in that awful day. Nothing else will matter except that we've repented and turned in faith to Jesus Christ. What He did on the cross will pay for our sins - what He did will allow us to be credited with a perfect righteousness that will cause us to be accepted before God. Only what He did - only His righteousness will matter. It will save us from death. In light of this truth - what are YOU trusting in on the day of God's wrath? You may think it is not coming - that God is too nice to judge anyone. The fact of Scripture is to the contrary. God will judge - He will call us to an accounting - and He will accept only one thing on that day to make us acceptable in His sight. Oh that we would be wise and run to the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. Oh that we would open our eyes and be aware of the horror of that day for those who trust anything other than the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. It alone can deliver from death. Any other thing will fail eternally. Now let me ask the question . . . On the day of God's wrath what do you want to have - riches or righteousness? The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life. Proverbs 22:4
What brings a person riches and honor? That is widely debated in our world today. There are those who act with pride and isolence - who step on whoever they need to step on to get to the top. They use questionable tactics and ungodly ways to gather their riches and they demand honor from their subordinates. The problem is that once they leave this life - they leave their so-called honor and riches behind - and enter into eternal poverty. The other problem is that while in this life honor is not afforded to them except by threats - and their riches are in danger of someone just like them - who would gladly take them away and toss them on the trash heap of those who were formerly rich and famous. God gives us wisdom as to the place of lasting riches, honor - and most of all life. These three must come in their trio-form for a person to truly be rich and truly be honored. For what honor is there in hell? What riches await those burning in flame and eaten by worms? Without life in eternity our earthly honor will mock us as the ages pile upon the ages. Without life our riches will slip through our hands like one trying to grasp and hold oil. The way to these things is through humility. We read in the Word that God resists the proud. That the Lord hates the proud look and the arrogant heart. Temporary riches and deceptive honor may come without humility - but the real thing demands it. The wise man realizes that at the top of all things is God - and the true "way to the top" comes as we humble ourselves before Him. History is littered with those who thought they could become the big cheese - yet in the end - only smelled like it. When we humble ourselves before God - we place ourselves in the path of blessing. The truly wise man embraces humility and his own weaknesses. He even glories in them because he knows that as he sees himself weak - then God becomes strong in his life - his choices - and his actions. God also speaks through this proverb to tell us that the other twin of riches, honor, and life is the fear of the Lord. This is a respect and intrinsic honor shown to God, His Word, and His judgment on all matters. We are told at the very beginning of Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Without a proper fear of God - we will degenerate into a pride and self-assuredness that will lead us astray from wisdom. This fear of God often begins with a terror initially as we grasp Who God is - and where we stand before Him. Imagine the moment Paul grasped the true fear of the Lord. He had settled into a self-assured sense of his own right-ness in his religious views and stands. This had led him to the point of persecuting Christians to the death - and imprisoning others. On his way to Damascus to continue his unholy war on the church - Jesus Christ manifest His ultimate power and knocked Paul off his horse and blinded his eyes with light. Imagine the fear that must have gripped Paul when he heard that the answer to "Who are you Lord?" was, "I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting." The fear of God had to almost paralyze this man who lay on the road. But that moment of terror was also the beginning of wisdom for Paul. It led him away from a religion of effort and self-righteousness - to the true wisdom of God's grace in the gospel. There are many voices telling us how to be rich, honored, and truly alive in this world. Unless they are telling us that the way to these things is through the path of humility and the fear of God . . . they are wrong. God will resist those who take other messages than this one. But for those who embrace humility and the fear of the Lord - there is a wealth, an honor, and life that can never be taken from them. Truly theirs is the wise way of achieving them - and holding to them forever. Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. 5 When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens. Proverbs 23:4-5
God is not against people becoming wealthy. There are people in the history of the Bible who became wealthy because of God's specific blessing upon them. So God is not "anti-wealth" as some people would suppose. But, He is concerned with how people view money and wealth - and to be more specific how they pursue it. That is where the real danger lies. Don't weary yourself to gain wealth. There is the first principle God puts before us. The word weary means to become weary with work. It indicates that the person is putting forth great effort and exhausting exertion to try to accomplish something. It should probably be noted here that God is for hard work. He wants us to work hard at the things we do. He wants us to offer excellence and effort to our jobs and in the things we do for Him and for others. The Lord is not encouraging laziness here. He is saying that those who put forth exhausting labor with the ultimate goal being to become wealthy are focusing on the wrong goal. I remember working at UPS in Seminary and watching one of my supervisors live this way. His goal in life was to work so hard when he is young, that he could retire when he was 45 as a millionaire. This poor guy was always at work. He had a wife and a couple of kids - but from the way he spoke of them to us - they were just obstacles to him getting where he wanted to go. I've watched men like this who labor so hard to become rich. They reach their goal - but find out that the loss of their marriage and the fact that their kids have no respect for them - costs far more than the millions they have to spend in their old age. Proverbs tells us next that we are to cease from our consideraton of becoming wealthy. An interesting word is used for "consideration" here. It means to think hard about something. The result of this thinking should be a proper discernment of it. But according to what is being said here God is warning us against making wealth the thing we consider and think hard about in life. There are those who constantly chase the illusive goal of being rich. They read books about it - they listen to tapes that promise them the way to get there - they listen to radio shows that promise them that if they do what this man says - they'll be rich. There is even a "chrisitanized" version of this thinking. The health/wealth/prosperity teaching promises that God Himself is nothing but a divine sugar daddy. If we treat Him right - and confess the right things - we'll be rich! Wonder how that works for persecuted Christians behind the bamboo curtain who are in jail for their faith. If they confess the right words and really have faith, they'll get twice the gruel that their cellmate receives? God wants us to have our minds fixed on other things than our own financial bottom line. If we truly had discernment we'd know that our bank account will matter only in how we used it for God's glory. Our "consideration" should be of the Lord Himself and what His will is for us in life. To have a constant consideration of wealth is to waste our minds on things that are not eternal. There is another reason we should not be chasing wealth. That reason is that wealth is often illusive. In the simplest terms - take the example of the guy buying lottery tickets thinking he is going to win and get rich. This proves two things - first, this guy is not very good at Math - and second, he is focused on the wrong things. He thinks that money will solve his problems. If he only took the time to study previous big winners of the lottery he'd learn that it usually causes more problems than it solves. Then there is the person who is chasing the illusive goal of inventing something that will make him rich. Too often the inventions don't pan out and the guy pursuing them for wealth winds up broke - and broken because of his failure to "make it to the big time." Wealth takes wings like an eagle -flying off into the heavens. What a picture for us to remember! This is true in so many ways. What was just covered is one of the ways that wealth takes wings - but there is another that is even more important for us to remember. Ask a rich man how much money he needs to be content. His answer will be, "Just a little more than I have now." That is the most deceptive part of wealth. When we "get there" to our stated goal - we'll find it is not enough to bring peace and satisfaction to us. So, we figure we'll set our goal a little higher - only to find that when we get there we still don't feel satisfied. Some folks spend their entire lives chasing the eagle as it soars higher and higher into the air. They die richer than they ever dreamed - but learning that the dream becomes a nightmare because of the lack of satisfaction in their wealth. One last thing needs to be said of a life spent chasing after wealth and riches. The ultimate bummer for the rich man is when he dies. He leaves everything behind. There are no "rich people" in heaven or hell. The basis of success or ultimate failure has to do with being able to stand before God in the judgment. Jesus tells the story of the rich farmer who has a bumper crop. He wonders what to do with his untold wealth. He finally decides that he will tear down his barns and build bigger ones. Then he will store his abundance and say to his soul that he has much wealth and can rest. Jesus' words here are frightening. He says, "You fool! Tonight your soul is required of you - and how will mere wealth help you?" We can be as wealthy as 10 Solomons - and still find ourselves eternally impoverished if we don't have forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ. We can chase wealth into the heavens like that eagle - only to find that iin the end the descent into infinite poverty lasts not a human lifetime - it lasts for all eternity. Here true wisdom - be rich toward God - that wealth will last beyond what can be stolen or rust away. The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2
There are many inequities in this world. One of them is the difference between the rich and the poor. These differences can drive people to the point of revolution and violence. There are entire political and economic ideologies formulated to try to bring some kind of balance to this situation. They want to create an equity between men that is enforced. But these ideologies will never work because of the fallen state of man. Communism was one of these ideologies that tried to bring equity among men. The problem was that while communism sounded good to many in theory - in the end it only bred a ruling class of rich oligarchs and a class of serfs who did the work of the state in a common poverty. If it were possible for sinful man to mutually share all things - including the work to produce them - we might be able to create a paradise here on earth. As long as the fallen, sinful state of man continues though - all these wonderful and fanciful concepts will break down as selfishness and self-centered living will take over. In the end, we will wind up with the rich and the poor once again. One of the most maddening inequities of the difference between the rich and poor is the whole practice of justice among them. Our own justice system has a statue that supposedly represents what our ideal is. That is a woman with a pair of scales who is blindfolded. The picture represents that justice is blind to differences in those who come to receive it. True justice is this way - but unfortunately all human systems will eventually break down due, once again, to the innate selfishness of mankind. Thus we have the problem of how the rich are represented at the bar of justice. If you have money - lots of money - you will fare better in our justice system. If you are dirt poor - and to be honest - black or a minority - often you will have a more difficult time in our justice system. To those who would argue against this by saying that more of these people commit crime, I would respond by saying that poverty itself often breeds crime. So, how do we bring a sense of justice to all this? Are we forever to face inequities between the rich and the poor? Is there no place where the rich and poor are treated alike? This proverb - written by a very rich man - gives us God's answer. Before God all men are viewed the same. There is a statement of doctrine which says, "God is no respecter of persons." If God is Who the Bible says He is, then this is comforting to those who cringe at the basic inequities of this world. Being infinite and eternal - needing nothing and possessing everything there is - being all wise and having infinite understanding - being perfect and beyond any kind of corruption - we can trust Him. Also, if He already owns all things - who, praytell is going to impress Him or offer any kind of bribe or influence that would affect Him at all? At this juncture I must make a differentiation between God Himself and how His church has conducted herself. Shamefully, the churches' history is replete with examples of bribery and influence peddling. James warned us in the New Testament that there would be the evil of favoring the rich and dishonoring the poor just because they were rich or poor. The Old Testament prophets thundered God's judgments against those who dishonored the poor while catering to the rich. But do not equate to God Himself the poor example that His children - or those who claim to be His children offer. Take God at His Word. This proverb tells us that the rich and poor meet together at one place. This is what that common bond is (The literal Hebrew here means "to meet at a common place). They both meet before almighty God as His creation. The Lord is the maker of them all. I realize that many in this world will scoff at the thought of a creator God. But I would propose that you think about something if you want equity in the world. If all that there is came about through evolutionary processes - what basis is there for equity in the world. One of the fundamental principles of evolution is survival of the fittest. This means the strong survive and the weak are weeded out. If this is the case and is a principle upon which the survival of our species exists - then we shouldn't want equity for the poor. We should cheer the rich and their ability to maintain power and control. There is NO basis for any kind of selfless morality in evolution. There is only the fight to continue the species. So, if the poor gets in your way - evolutionary theory says to crush them because they will only weaken the species. This is what animated Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and any other horrific leader who took evolutionary thought to its logical conclusion. Those who propose some kind of equity in the world from it - are being utterly contradictory to their own theory of origin. Let's return back to the proverb now. What is the place where rich and poor meet together? They meet at the point where God is maker of all. Both Judaism and Christianity teach that the point of ultimate equity is the throne of God. All men will stand here - and all will receive the justice due them for their actions. When we look at this biblical reality - it is a powerful motivator to use one's riches in a way that does not simply energize our innate selfishness. Your 70 or so years here on earth will yield you an eternity that will truly manifest true equity. Some will ignore this - and continue on their selfish path - but that path will only lead to destruction. True, the person may amass a fortune that impresses men - even impressing judges and rulers. But - God is unfazed by any amount of wealth that can ever be amassed by any individual, corporation, or nation-state. He continues to call us to obedience to His moral code. In the end - without any of the advantages of wealth, power, or human influence - both the rich and poor will come before their maker. They will be judged according to His standards - and will receive an ultimate future according to their deeds - according to the results of their actions. Solomon wrote in his farewell address, the book of Ecclesiastes, of the inequity of rich and poor. He said that often in the place of justice there is inequity and corruption. He also spoke of the transitory nature of riches - and how they too often deceive their possessors of ultimate reality - that they will face true justice in the end. He closed that last teaching with this statement. "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) Sounds to me like the richest man on earth, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote these very words about the place where rich and poor ultimately meet for justice - knew very well that place. He knew that the justice due all men - regardless of their financial bottom line - lay at the feet of their Creator. We would do well to remember this in all our dealings - both financial and moral. Wealth adds many friends, But a poor man is separated from his friend. Proverbs 19:4
There are proverbs that God gives us that are just statements of truth. They are not meant to be approving of what is said - just a simple statement of what will be true in this fallen world. What we learn from them is often discerned as we seek the Lord. Today's proverb is one of these. Wealth adds many friends. What a loaded statement. When a man is wealthy he has many friends. Ask anyone who has ever won a lot of money - they will tell you that suddenly friends come out of the woodwork. Watch the rich and famous sports figure - he has an entourage of friends who follow him and do his bidding wherever he goes. The word used for friend in the Hebrew is a very general word which can mean anything from a close friend or lover - to someone who is only an aquaintance. For the wealthy man, the trick is to know which is which. He will have those who become his friend because he is rich and the know they will live well when around him. These are the sycophants and human leaches of society. They are around when you are doing well and when gifts flow freely. When this flow stops - or the promise of some payback no longer is there - they are gone. The second half of this proverb is telling. A poor man is separated from his friend. The word for poor man here is very interesting. It is the Hebrew word, "dal," which means to be poor or weak. these are people who are on the opposite social scale from the rich. The emphasis here is on their poverty and their weakness. Keil and Delitzsch describe this word as meaning reduced, or as "one who has fallen into a tottering condition, who has no resources, and who possesses no means. This man is in the process of being reduced. He may have had wealth - or at least enough - but due to his circumstances and problems he is now being reduced. His condition has become one of a tottering man who is in the process of going down - of falling. This is the man who is separated from his friend. Unfortunately he has fair-weather friends who are around for the ride - who are a friend because of what they "get" from the relationship. Once things start going down - this kind of friend makes himself or herself scarce. This is a lousy friend - and we are being warned here that such friends exist in our world. What we should learn from this passage is that friends come and go - at least some friends do. The true friend is the one who sticks around even when we are being "reduced." Scripture tells us that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. There are those who stay with us even when we are at our lowest and most vulnerable. If you have a friend like this - thank God for him or her - because such friends are not abundant in a fallen world where most are more concerned about themselves than about those around them. Lastly, we should realize that Christ is the ultimate friend. We were absolutely reduced by sin and by our fallen nature. There was NOTHING attractive or alluring about us in God's sight - yet the Lord loved us. We read in Romans 5:8 that "God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Christ is our absolute friend. He loved us while we were in rebellion against Him. In this world we will have friends that disappoint us. But take heart because in the Lord Jesus Christ you have a friend that will never leave you or forsake you. When you have no other friend to turn to - you are still not alone - turn to Him for comfort and for encouragement. He will always be there regardless of whether you are rich . . . or reduced. Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it, than a house full of feasting with strife. Proverbs 17:1
A quiet, very modest meal in a peaceful, quiet atmosphere is much better than a rich man's feast with its strife and contention. That is what the writer of Proverbs tells us. When you consider the table of Solomon as you read this - you realize that being the richest man with the most awesome feasts in history may not have been all that fantastic. You can see king Solomon thinking in his head that things may have been better without all the pomp and revelry that surrounded his royal banquets. We read today that the relative tranquility with which you take your meal may do more for you than the meal itself. You can have a feast fit for a king - and yet if is it filled with stress and strife - it will yield indegestion. You can find yourself sick as a dog when you are filled not just with food, but also with worry and the wrestlings of bad relationships. Thus a dry morsel of food with a quiet, gracious atmosphere is better than the finest feasts of the rich. This word "quietness" is a word we all would like to experience. It is the Hebrew word "shalvah" and it means a sense of security, prosperity, and quietness. It indicates a lack of anxiety and ease. The concept here of prosperity evidently does not speak of riches, but rather of the security and peace that come from not having to be concerned about things. Though the world may trick us for a time - we will eventually long for this more than for all that the world can give us. The other state of mind - strife - comes from the Hebrew word "rib" and means a controversy, a contention, strife. It arises from disputes and quarrels and usually involves open hostilities and a clamoring of others for action on their behalf. Oh, what a horrid meal is experienced when we try to enjoy a meal with this kind of atmosphere and attitude present. Peace and tranquility . . . these are often overlooked in our world's torrid search for wealth, riches, and affluence. Too bad that as they are overlooked and passed by the one searching for the other doesn't mark where they are found. The truth is that one day in spite of all the wealth, fame, and abundance of things - they will lon for peace. Better to have the simple meal and peace - than all the wealth in the world and an ulcer with it. A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1
Proverbs has a great deal to say about what is truly valuable. Here we find that our name is worth a great deal. A good name is a sign of a wealthy man. That good name is earned in life by living a godly life - being a man or woman of honor - being true to your word - being a trustworthy person - being someone who excels at what they do - and showing godly character in all situations, especially those that are difficult. There are those who are rich, but who have come to their riches in a way that has cost them their name. They have relied on questionable practices and get quick rich schemes. In the process of gaining a great deal of money, they've abused their name and their reputation. Thus, they may be rich in the things of this world, but their name is basically mud to those who know them. We all know someone who wanted to get to the top and who decided to step on people all the way up there. The restatement of this Proverb is even more telling though. A good name is more to be desired than great wealth - but even better than that is knowing what the Bible calls "favor." This, according to the Lord is better than silver and gold. What does it mean to have "favor?" This word means to have grace or acceptance. The fundamental way this word is used in Scripture is to describe the unmerited favor that God gives us. Here, though, it probably refers to the favor - the approval that we receive because we are a man of character and godliness. Men truly value a man who is like this. The value of such things as a good name and favor because of our character is invaluable. These things come with time because we choose to follow the Lord and live according to His principles and desires. Do not ever underestimate the value of your name and the way that being a good man or woman brings you the favor of others. It is something that no one can estimate with a calculator. The blessing that comes with it will not only last a lifetime - but often will be remembered long after one has left this world. The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death. Proverbs 21:6
Being a wealthy man is not sin - there are many wealthy men who honor God with their lives and their testimony. The problem often is not wealth itself, but how we deal with wealth - and here - how we get it. We are told by Paul in his letters to Timothy that is it the "love of money" that is the root of evil. How do you go about gaining your treasures? Here the foolish man goes about gaining his by a lying tongue. He uses deceit to gain his wealth. He lies about his abilities - or about his product in some way - or he uses deceit to lure others into a financial trap whereby he profits from their misfortune. But the Lord instructs us in Proverbs that this way of gaining a fotrune is a "double-loser" in the end. Let's see why. First, we read that such a plan is a "fleeting vapor." What a descriptive phrase this is. First we have the idea of something fleeting. This refers to something blown or driving away. Psalm 1:4 tells us that the wicked will be blown away like the chaff of the grain. Again in Job 32:13 God uses this word to speak of how He will rout the evil man - blowing Him away like wind blows the dust of the earth effortlessly. The second word is vapor. This word refers to just what it says - a small whisp of water vapor that would vanish almost as soon as it appears. What is speaks of is more interesting. It speaks of vanity, emptiness, and meaninglessness. It is the favorite word of the book of Ecclesiastes - where it is used thirty-five different times to speak of how life is like a breath. Put together, these two words intensify one another. Thus we see that gaining treasure by lying is like pursuing the most momentary of vapors - one that is even more vain and empty than any you've ever seen. Thus, the first loss is that of a meaningful life here on earth. To chase after wealth by lying and deceit is to make your life worthless. It will have all the value of a breif water blowing away in the wind. Not exactly what most people are searching for in life - is it? The second loss you experience is much scarier than the first. God tells us that living this way is the pursuit of death. Now there is a phrase you don't hear very often. "Hey, Bob, let's go out later today and pursue some death!" The phrase itself simply means that someone is chasing after or hunting something - here - death. So we learn that we are not only hurting ourselves here and now with a meaningless life, but that we are also harming ourselves for the life to come. That person is hunting after their own death. They're pursing dying. What is sad is that all of those who live this way describe their pursuit and use of money as, "really living." The fact though is that their pursuit of false riches - results in a very real death. Reading this encourages us to see the pursuit of the wrong kind of treasure as a dangerous thing. It is something deadly - killing those who engage in it. It also helps us, as Proverbs often does, with a picture of what we're doing. While the world sees such activity as harmless and even adventageous because of the things you can buy and do with it, the Word of God paints a much different picture. Living this way is pictured as chasing our own death and destruction. It is pictured as the most foolish and meaningless of lifestyles. And hopefully, such a picture will turn us from pursuing things that actually make us poor rather than rich. The poor man utters supplications, But the rich man answers roughly. Proverbs 18:23
What is it about wealth and wealthy men that makes them think they can talk down to other people? I've watched human behavior over the years and have been amazed to watch many rich people speak as if the world should bow at their feet. We've all heard the stories of celebrites and other rich individuals who treated store clerks, servants, and even the police with contempt. Now we read in Proverbs this very same thing - that the rich answers roughly while the poor of this world embrace humility when speaking. First of all - we need to be careful not to over-generalize on this matter. I do know wealthy people who embrace humility and I also know plenty of the poor who are arrogant when they speak to others. But the truth is the truth. When you are poor you tend to offer supplications - the word means to make a request. The idea here is that the poor see their state and thus embrace humility more easily than the rich. The poor man has little to find pride in according to this world's standards, thus he knows that when he comes to ask something - it is best not to add manners to the list of things he has little of in life. The wealthy, though, do have a lot. That is why they have a tendency to speak and answer roughly. Their thought is that their wealth should be respected. They have power - and often are willing to wield it if someone is not jumping through hoops to meet their needs. I remember watching a television show where a rich woman was marching through a store ordering the poor clerks around as if they were her personal slaves. Her actions and attitude were terrible. Granted the purpose of the salesperson is to serve the customer, but that does not give the customer the right to treat them with total contempt. But, this woman was extremely wealthy and with her wealth came worldly power. The idea behind the way the rich answer is interesting. The word "roughly" means the following: "to be strong, powerful, insolent. When used of isolence it refers to a strong, forceful person - wonw who is determined and defiant - in some contexts it also has the idea of greed, covetousness and an insatiable appetite for such things as power and wealth. When referring to how one speaks, it almost always has the idea of answering arrogantly. When reading this list of adjectives one can only shake their head like they would when watching one of this ilk run rough-shod over whomever they think should be serving them at the time. Thinking that their money, power, and position are everything, they consider the world a collection of peons whose purpose is to serve them and show whoever else is watching they are a person of influence and power. This will continue usually throughout their lives unless they receive the wonderful gift of God's humbling, saving grace. What a shock it will be for those who don this kind of attitude at the judgment. Suddenly they will find the tables turned - and a forced humility very bitter indeed to swallow. Yet that is what they face. It will only be in that moment that they will embrace humility and brokenness - which they should have embraced in life - only it will be too late. What can we learn from this proverb? First, we can learn eternal values. What consitutes riches in God's sight is far different from what the world says they are. We read in the New Testament that God has made the poor in this world rich in faith! The currency of heaven does not bear the image of past presidents. That currency flows through faith believing the truth. Second, we can embrace humility toward others - no matter who they are. How have we treated those who serve us in what we would consider menial jobs? Do we answer those we consider "less wealthy" than us with rough arrogant attitudes? Are we gracious no matter what the socio-economic level of person with whom we deal? When looking at this proverb this way - there is much we can learn. The truth is that Jesus Christ was the wealthiest man ever to walk this earth - yet when we watch His interaction with men and women - what we see is Someone who showed precious humility no matter what the state of the man. Oh, that we would learn the same lessons - and manifest the same spirit. And may we grasp that true wealth has little of nothing to do with your wallet - and everything to do with the spirit in which you wield it! |
Proverb a DayEach day, we'll take a look at a verse from the chapter of Proverbs for the day. Our hope is to gain wisdom each day - and from that wisdom - to have understanding to make godly decisions in the throes of everyday life. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you!
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